This invention relates to a portable urinal for collecting and storing the urine of a user.
Portable urinals provide users with a place to urinate when restroom facilities are unavailable or unreachable. There are many circumstances for which a portable urinal is helpful. For example, many people suffer from urinary incontinence, which requires that they often must quickly and unexpectedly reach toilet facilities. Other people may require the use of a portable urinal due to temporarily immobilization or other medical conditions which prohibit them from reaching the restroom without assistance. Still other people find portable urinals useful in common situations such as during long car trips or during traffic backups when restroom facilities cannot be reached in a timely manner. Even leisure activities such as camping, hiking, boating, or fishing can present situations where portable urinals are desirable.
Portable urinals come in a variety of sizes and configurations. Certain portable urinals are designed to be completely reusable. Such urinals are both economical and environmentally-friendly. However, reusing a portable urinal requires that all of its parts be sufficiently cleaned, which can be a time-consuming as well as unpleasant task. To avoid these problems, other portable urinals have been designed to be completely disposable. While more convenient, the cost of replacing the entire urinal after each use is a detriment.
As a compromise, some portable urinals have been configured to have both reusable and disposable parts. However, such portable urinals often suffer the disadvantages of being difficult to set up for use, or difficult to seal in order to retain the collected urine for later disposal.
Whether reusable or disposable, a portable urinal should be able to accommodate the different anatomical requirements of men and women. Typically, urinals are designed for use by only one gender. When urinals are intended to be unisex, urine collection is often not optimized for one gender or the other. In addition, many portable urinals are large and bulky, making them less discreet and detracting from their ease of portability.
Therefore, it is an object according to the present invention to provide an improved portable urinal which is easily assembled for urine collection and disassembled for urine disposal.
It is another object according to the present invention to provide a portable urinal in which urine can be easily and safely stored for later disposal.
It is still another object according to the present invention to provide a portable urinal capable of accommodating both male and female users.
Accordingly, a portable urinal is provided for collecting and storing urine from a user. The portable urinal includes a receptacle for collecting the urine, where the receptacle includes a body portion having an inlet sized to sufficiently receive the genitourinary area of the user, and an outlet. The portable urinal further includes a storage container for storing the urine, where the storage container has an inlet for receiving the urine from the receptacle. A connector attached to the storage container receives the storage container inlet and removably receives the receptacle outlet, such that the connector releasably joins the receptacle with the storage container allowing the urine to flow from the receptacle outlet into the storage container inlet.
In accordance with the present invention, the receptacle inlet can be sized to receive the genitourinary area of a male user, or can be sized to receive the genitourinary area of a female user. In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle is designed to be reusable, and the storage container is designed to be disposable. Preferably, the storage container includes a flexible bag which includes a powder substance contained therein for absorbing the urine. The receptacle body portion can also include a handle formed therein to improve ease of use.
The connector can either be press fit or welded onto the storage container. In order to releasably join the receptacle with the storage container such that the receptacle can be removed from the storage container, the receptacle outlet preferably includes at least one projection, and the connector includes at least one slot sized to slidingly receive the projection. The receptacle is then secured to the connector by rotating the receptacle with respect to the connector such that the projection is moved to an end of the slot.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the portable urinal includes a cap adapted to be received by the connector for sealing the storage container following removal of the receptacle. The sealed storage container can then be disposed and replaced with another, unused storage container. Similar to the receptacle outlet, the cap preferably includes at least one projection, and the connector includes at least one slot sized to slidingly receive the projection. The cap is then secured to the connector by rotating the cap with respect to the connector such that the projection is moved to an end of the slot.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the receptacle outlet or, alternatively, a distal end of the cap is received in the storage container inlet. In another embodiment, the connector includes a bracket having first and second bracket members, and a funnel enclosed by the bracket. The first bracket member includes projections, and the second bracket member includes apertures sized to receive the projections to secure the first and second bracket members together. The funnel, in turn, includes an inlet portion for engaging the receptacle outlet and an outlet portion that protrudes below the bracket and is adapted to be received in the storage container inlet. Still further, the first and second bracket members include a set of internal flanges between which the funnel inlet portion is received such that axial movement of the funnel with respect to the bracket members is prohibited.
In further accordance with the present invention, a portable urinal kit for collecting and storing urine is provided. The kit includes a female receptacle for collecting urine from a female user, where the female receptacle includes a body portion having an inlet sized to sufficiently receive the genitourinary area of the female user, and a relatively smaller outlet. The kit also includes a male receptacle for collecting urine from a male user, where the male receptacle includes a body portion having an inlet sized to sufficiently receive the genitourinary area of the male user, and a relatively smaller outlet. Additionally, the kit includes one or more disposable storage containers for storing the urine, each storage container having an inlet for receiving urine from a selected one of the female and male receptacles. A connector is attached to the storage container inlet and adapted to receive the outlet of the selected receptacle, thereby allowing urine to flow from the selected receptacle outlet into the storage container inlet. The connector releasably joins the selected receptacle with the storage container such that the selected receptacle can be removed from the storage container. Lastly, the kit includes a cap adapted to be received by the connector for sealing the storage container following removal of the selected receptacle. In this way, the sealed storage container can be disposed and replaced with another, unused storage container.